Cultural Outlook

All is quiet on the home front. Yesterday I could tell I was trying to get sick so I stayed away from candy. However, since we went to the Chili Cook-off at church, it was hard to stay away from the food. There were prizes for chili, chowder, pie and bread. Paul took some turkey chowder that turned out quite good and I took cheddar chowder to which I added too much salt and pepper and forgot to add the ham, shoo-fly pie, apple pie and pumpkin yeast bread. I got honorable mention for chowder and Joseph won the funniest costume--he was the cutest T-rex around.

Anyway, I had some chili that was good and some seafood chowder that was really good. then some pie. I started feeling icky before bed so I went by 10 in spite of the fact that I wanted to study for sociology and A&P. Once in bed, I was too warm with covers, too cold without, and had to get up five or six times to use the bathroom. Now I'm drinking a cup of Wild 'Bout Berries tea and enjoying the quiet since all the humans have gone to church. I plan on a shower, maybe knitting, maybe reading and writing a bit.

I am finding this year since beginning the midwife course and taking classes, that culture comes up a lot. Especially in the midwife course and sociology. Add to this one of Alisha's speeches she did for one of her classes about the racism she has experienced in Idaho and I've had a very thought provoking couple of months.

Racism and prejudice obviously exist. Anyone who thinks otherwise muss be stupid or blind. Or both.

For sociology, we have been assigned a paper about a film. Even though it's not the sort of movie I watch (mainly because of it's rating), I chose American History X because of the ten we were given to choose from, it seemed to be the nearest my past, and current, interests.

How any group of people can think that they are better than another based on skin color, where they live, what church they belong to, or whatever else, is beyond me. Do we not all bleed red?

In addition to pondering the whole cultural issue, I have spent considerable time wondering how I came to have the views I do. Is it because I was born with an open mind or because my parents fostered that in me? Is it because one of my cousins is part African American? Is it because I was born on Martin Luther King, Jr's, birthday and wanted to learn more about him? I do not know.

I do know that by the time I was old enough, I was not afraid to marry a Mexican. In spite of the fact that the marriage did not last, it certainly helped to broaden my life experience and certainly played a part in who I am today.

Idiots come in all shapes, sizes and skin colors; they come from every imaginable background. My grandpa worked for years in the lumber mill in the town I grew up in. By the time I was born, it had undergone some cultural changes but when my grandparents moved there, it was still predominately Catholic Italian. Although Papa was raised Catholic, Grandma was not, and neither of them was Italian. Papa is the kind of person who can get along with anyone. Even if he can't stand you, you are not likely to ever know. One thing that used to irritate him is when the northern Italians would be giving the southern Italians a bad time. It seems that those of northern descent thought they were better because they had lighter skin than those of southern descent. One day, having heard enough, Papa said, "The only difference in your skin color is who raped your grandmother."

Is this where my attitude comes from? It seems likely.